Since 1988's "Die Hard," Bruce Willis has suited up as a crime-solving, justice-bringing, people-protecting badass in nearly 20 movies. While the 54-year-old actor begins to make the rounds to promote his latest turn as an onscreen hero in "Cop Out," he's also making plans to return to the franchise that made him a star. MTV News has learned exclusively that Willis expects to shoot "Die Hard 5" in 2011.

"I think we're going to do a 'Die Hard 5' next year," Willis told us.

Though vague chatter about another film in the franchise has cropped up here and there over the last few years — most recently while Willis was promoting "Surrogates" last fall — these recent comments represent the most concrete evidence to date that Willis is committed to reprising his role of John McClane (one of MTV News' greatest movie badasses of all time).

The project appears to be in the early phases, but Willis does have some ideas about the story and who should be tagged to direct. "It's got to go worldwide," the actor said about the potential plotline. "That would be my contribution to it."

His first choice to direct would be the man who last brought McClane to the big screen. "I would hire Len Wiseman right now," Willis said. A vet of two "Underworld" flicks, Wiseman has not helmed a feature since 2007's "Live Free or Die Hard."

While Willis readies himself to return to "Die Hard" territory, he admitted that he much prefers taking a comedic angle on cop films — à la "Cop Out," which also stars Tracy Morgan — than the more serious approach of the "Die Hard" franchise.

"I like so much more making fun of it, taking the piss out of it, not making it a big deal and not making the fact that I've acted in a lot of movies a big deal," he said. "It's all illusion, and it's all bulls---. It's a great job for me to have, but everything else you can set on fire. Making people laugh is the real deal."